West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-06-03

Juc1 Sccul Oh piShiSiy iSHpt"A'.
other relation, in which they are
quite as aggressive and even more
pernicious to the public good, is
their political corruption and ma
nipulation, which has been so con
spicuous in many States of the
Union. While it was Tweed and
his co-plunderers who brought dis
grace upon municipal administra
ton IN New York, we must not for
get that Jim Fisk and the corpora
ton scoundrels who combined with
him were the chief destroyers of ju-
dicial and Legislative integrity in the
Empire State. Things were carried
so far and with such a high hand
that public indignation was at last
aroused, and the low methods and
criminal practices which corporation
managers found congenial to their
tastes and necessary to their ends
were at last destroyed, or at least so
crippled as to be no longer an over
shadowing disgrace to the State.
The same course has been run else
where, and notably in Pennsylvania,
Illinois and other States, where cor
poration influence was so banefnl to
politics and business alike that leg
islation was found impossible to
remedy the wrongs until the peoples
needs were formulated in new con-
situations, which commanded also
legislative obedience. Even then, IN
one of the States, the corporate pow
er of the State was so potent that
the constitutional provisions were
permitted to "lie in dull oblivion and
to rot for more than twelve years,
before the legislative conscience was
quickened to obedience by the oaths
administered and by the public
voice. 1t became almost an axiom
at one time that in the struggle for
honest government against the pow
er of the railroad corporations the
cause of the people had no chance of
success. The people of course knew,
from the beginning, that the rail
roads and canals belonged of right
to the State for the use Of the peo-
pie, and that the corporations hav-
inc them in charge were really but
the agents of the public to run them
for their owners, and yet so mystic
rious, corrupt and powerful was the
influence of these selfish and soul
less bodies over the law-making
power that it was simply impossible
to hold them to their duties and re-
sponsibilities. Their security in
wrong doing being dependent upon
the power of their Hobbies to control
legislation, of course one step, and 4
very important one, was to see that
such plant tools were sent to the
Legislature as could be used to cheat
the public whenever the cupidity OF
their masters required it. This has
led to every sort of political manip-
ulation and interference-not open
w.. so that the mailed hand could be
seen. but through agents, attorneys
and hangers on, who fawn or bull
doze as best suits their cold. calcu-
lating purpose. Not only have con
ventions been packed time and
again, but it is safe to say that bal
lot boxes have been more often
stuffed in their interest than for all
other interests combined.
As we before said, public atten
ton is being awakened and directed
everywhere to these cold-blooded en-
emics of the public good. The pco
pie are beginning to realize that they
are the masters, and have the rene
DIV in their own hands. They APP
preciate as never before the enormi
ty of these creatures of the public,
whose very life was breathcd into
their nostrils that they might serve
the public and promote its general
good, iinpudently assuming to ignore
the power that made them, to per-
vert the purposes for which they
were made, and even attempting to
debauch the State by so corrupting
and defling its sovereignty as to
make it their mere tool and play
thing. The people of this good State
must not delude themselves into the
belief that they are freer from corpo-
ration influences than others who
have found it necessary to rise in
their nigh; and put them down.
The worst thing that could befall us
bad as other evils may be-would
be to permit the political control Of
the State to pass into the hands Of
our corporations, their agents or at
torneys. 1t was aptly and strongly
said by one who waged an endless
war upon corporate wrongs that
:'there is no other subject upon
which the press is so shy as upon
this, the most important of all.
Afraid to oppose the corrupt corpo-
rations, and ashamed to defepd them,
it sinks into silent neutrality. Pru-
dentpoliiicians always want a smooth
road to run on, and the right path
here is full of impediments. In this
state of things we seem to be weaker
than we really are, for the unbroKen
heart of the people is on the side of
justice, equality and truth. Monop-
olists may sneer at our laundering
leadership, but they had better be-
- IL IL